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Education Rickshaw | International Education Blog - Education & Personal Development
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Explicit instruction is essential – especially for students with learning disabilities like dyscalculia – Education Rickshaw
In the latest episode of the Unlocking Dyscalculia podcast, Adrianne Meldrum sits down with Dr. Zach Groshell, author of Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching, to explore why direct, well-scaffolded teaching is essential—especially for students with learning disabilities like dyscalculia. Article continued here. https://youtu.be/ExvfomGD93o
Building Thinking Classrooms is Repackaged Discovery Learning – Education Rickshaw
In education, nothing is truly new. Consider project-based learning, which made its debut in the 18th century under the guise of "The Project Method." Inquiry-based learning has similarly worn many hats over the years, from discovery learning to exploratory learning to experiential learning. As the veteran teachers have long said, everything old becomes new again.…
S4E30: Ronak Bhatt on Accelerated Learning and Homogeneous Grouping – Education Rickshaw
In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I’m honored to host Ronak Bhatt, the accomplished founder and school leader of TELRA Institute. Ronak will discuss how acceleration can open doors for learners, share his thoughts on the benefits and challenges of homogeneous grouping, and provide insights into experimental educational models that offer bold alternatives to traditional…
S4E29: Rachel Sewell on the Ingredients of Effective Professional Development – Education Rickshaw
In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I am delighted to host Rachel Sewell, Coaching Development Lead at Steplab and a passionate advocate for effective professional development. Rachel will explore the 14 mechanisms of effective professional development, including how they build knowledge, motivate educators, develop teaching techniques, and embed sustainable practices. Listen and subscribe to Progressively…
S4E28: Jonathan Regino on Curriculum Evaluation and Math Coaching – Education Rickshaw
In this episode of Progressively Incorrect, I am thrilled to host Jonathan Regino, an innovative educator and instructional leader known for his expertise in curriculum adoption and math coaching. Jonathan is passionate about enhancing teaching practices and fostering impactful math learning experiences. Listen and subscribe to Progressively Incorrect on… SpotifyYouTubeApple PodcastsWordPress Jon will share his…
Book Club Materials for Just Tell Them – Education Rickshaw
By popular request, I am excited to share some resources for my book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching. These were created by my friend and fellow educator, Helen Reynolds. Helen is known for her overviews and planning templates for the education books she's currently reading. These are perfect to pair…
Projects have a time and a place, but PBL does not – Education Rickshaw
Project-based learning (PBL) enjoys widespread popularity in schools. There is an intuitive appeal to connecting classroom content to the “real world”, and we’re told projects are engaging and authentic. But in my visits to schools that champion PBL, these promises are rarely delivered. If projects are to take up precious class time, they must meet…
S4E27: Richard Mayer on the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning – Education Rickshaw
Today, I am thrilled to host Richard Mayer on Progressively Incorrect, a distinguished educational psychologist and researcher known worldwide for his groundbreaking contributions to understanding how we learn. Rich brings a wealth of knowledge and a sharp focus on multimedia learning, generative learning, and evidence-based critiques of discovery learning. Listen and subscribe to Progressively Incorrect…
S4E26: Lynn Gaffney on Bridging Leadership and the Science of Learning – Education Rickshaw
Today, I am thrilled to host Lynn Gaffney on Progressively Incorrect, a passionate educator and leader known for her deep commitment to bridging research and practice in schools. Lynn brings a wealth of experience and a sharp focus on the science of learning, using evidence-informed strategies to drive meaningful outcomes for students and teachers alike.…
Webinar Recording for: Planning for Research Based Teaching Strategies – Education Rickshaw
If you follow this blog, you will know that I produce a lot of free content for teachers and instructional leaders. You can get my podcast, Progressively Incorrect, direct to your inbox, and you can get discounts to conferences that I put on. If you're the latter, I recommend you e-mail hello@steplab.co and mention that…
The Problem with “Sit and Get” PD and Conventional Instructional Coaching – Education Rickshaw
The problem with conventional "sit and get" PD is that it doesn't often contain the mechanisms that lead to adoption of effective techniques. Listening to someone talk about "best practice" is far from a guarantee that this information, no matter how persuasive, will transfer into the classroom. Instructional coaching is perhaps the best evidenced solution…
Great Teaching is Possible, Even at Your School – Education Rickshaw
As explicit instruction takes off in schools off the heels of Sold a Story and the Science of Reading, leaders are looking for ways to embed key principles into their teaching framework. I was interviewed in three podcasts recently that, I believe, do a good job at explaining explicit instruction. It's not lecturing. It's not…
S4E25: Daisy Christodoulou on Assessment Practices and Challenges – Education Rickshaw
Today, I am thrilled to host Daisy Christodoulou, an esteemed author and education expert renowned for her groundbreaking work on curriculum design and assessment. Daisy's thought-provoking insights have reshaped the way educators approach teaching, and her books, including "Seven Myths About Education," have become essential reads in the field. In this episode, Daisy will delve…
S4E24: Randi Saulter and Ann Baum on DI in Special Education Settings – Education Rickshaw
Today I am excited to be bringing you an episode of the DI podcast with Randi Saulter and Ann Baum. Randi and Ann are two passionate special education teachers who will take us through what Zig Engelmann called the “picky, picky” details of implementing DI in special education classrooms. This episode is chock full of…
Planning for Research Based Teaching Strategies – Education Rickshaw
I am putting on a lot of training events for teachers these days. If you would like to join my instructional coaching certificate program, check out the syllabus here. If you would like to attend one of the coaching conferences I'm putting on, check out my Steplab Events page here. This month's (free!) opportunity has…
S4E23: Faith Borkowsky and Judy Boksner on “What’s Hot” in Literacy – Education Rickshaw
Hi everyone, Zach Groshell here. Avid readers of my website will know that I was recently on a show called The Literacy View, which is also one of the podcasts in my listening rotation. It was with great excitement that I was able to snag hosts Judy and Faith for a very Literacy View episode…
S4E22: J.R. Wilson and Barry Garelick on Engagement and Conceptual Teaching in Math – Education Rickshaw
Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. Fans of my blogs might remember the interview series that J.R. Wilson and Barry Garelick provided around their book, Traditional Math. I'm excited to bring you the voices behind this common sense approach to math instruction. In our chat, we talk about a wide range of topics, including... 1. Breaking…
Paul Kirschner Explains Explaining – Education Rickshaw
Did you know that my book (reviewed by Beanie Geoghegan here) has an amazing Forward by Paul A. Kirschner? Paul, of course, is a frequent guest of the podcast, the author of countless books and articles, and one of the most important cognitive psychologists in the history of education. Enjoy! EXPLAINING EXPLAINED Humans are (almost)…
Robert Pondiscio’s The Next 30 Years – Education Rickshaw
I've been reading the writing of Robert Pondiscio for some time. I think the first article that got me hooked on his ideas was titled, Direct Instruction: The Rodney Dangerfield of Curriculum, which featured some commentary by my most sensible education professor, Marcy Stein. In an unlikely turn of events, I found myself presenting alongside…
ONlit Harnesses the Science of Learning – Education Rickshaw
I was recently invited by ONlit to present on the chapters that I co-wrote for the book, Harnessing the Science of Learning, a compilation book led by Nathaniel Swain and featuring Pamela Snow and others. In this recording, we cover important ground around cognitive load theory and explicit instruction. My hope is that schools that…
S4E21: Judith Hochman, Christine Teahan, & Toni-Ann Vroom on the Writing Revolution – Education Rickshaw
As we get closer to Spring, I am excited to be working with The Writing Revolution as part of my consultancy. The Writing Revolution, or TWR, is an explicit instruction approach to writing that was created by Dr. Judith Hochman. This method has been celebrated by proponents of cognitive science as a solution that adheres…
Precision Teaching Webinar Recording – Education Rickshaw
I had a blast this week presenting with Morningside Academy's Daniel Carroll. Below you can find the recording. If you're an instructional coach, please also consider participating in some in-person or online training through Steplab. It is the best coaching PD there is, hands down. And if you liked this and want to learn more…
S4E20: Doug Carnine on Advocacy for Evidence – Education Rickshaw
A few years ago, I came upon a paper titled, "Why Educators Resist Effective Practices" with the provocative subheading, And What It Would Take to Make EducationMore Like Medicine. It was written by Douglas Carnine, who I would come to learn was not only one of the most important voices in advocacy for evidence-based education,…
A New Training Program for High Impact Instructional Coaching – Education Rickshaw
Instructional coaching is considered the best evidenced form of professional learning (Boguslav & Goodrich, 2022). But implementing an effective instructional coaching program is difficult; it requires the ability to collect relevant information, diagnose next steps for teaching, and develop teachers’ skills through questioning, modeling, and deliberate practice. To help coaches and leaders implement high impact…
A Free Webinar on Precision Teaching – Education Rickshaw
Last year, Amanda VanDerHeyden, while interviewing for my podcast, began listing schools and organizations that had been championing the science of learning long before the term had entered our vernacular. Knowing I was from Seattle, she casually remarked, "And of course, you're familiar with Morningside Academy."No, I had never heard of Morningside Academy, nor the…
S4E19: Thinking Out Loud… Is Rehearsal Necessary for Effective Coaching and PD? – Education Rickshaw
I am excited to bring you an episode of the Thinking Out Loud series with my friend, Gene Tavernetti, who is cross posting these episodes on his podcast, Better Teaching Only Stuff that Works. During the episode, we talk about "rehearsal tasks", which are simply practice opportunities that a coach or presenter can plan for teachers.…
S4E18: Blake Harvard on Attention and Memory Constraints – Education Rickshaw
In this episode, I chat with Blake Harvard, aka The Effortful Educator, about applying cognitive psychology to the classroom. Blake and I presented together as part of the cognitive science strand at EdFest USA this year, and we share similar perspectives on the importance of bridging the gap between research and practice. In this interview,…
Canada’s Science of Learning Movement – Education Rickshaw
On June 6-7, researchED returns to Toronto for its annual conference. If you haven't heard of researchED, it is a grassroots organization dedicated to disseminating knowledge about evidence-informed approaches to teaching and learning. Carl Hendrick speaks eloquently about it in this episode, as does Rodrigo Lopez regarding researchED Chile. To be asked to be a…
S4E17: Kris Boulton on Atomization, DI Principles, and Unstoppable Learning – Education Rickshaw
In this episode, I chat with Kris Boulton, a legend in the space of translating principles of Direct Instruction (DI) into actionable steps for all teachers. It is such a great episode, with some very powerful messaging around the crucial role of the teacher in conveying and breaking down information so that all students can…
S4E16: Natalie Wexler on Knowledge, Cognitive Science, and Beyond Phonics – Education Rickshaw
In this episode, I catch up with Natalie Wexler to discuss her new book, Beyond the Science of Reading. Our wide-ranging conversation covers often underrepresented areas of the science of reading, including the importance of background knowledge for comprehension, cognitive load theory, and explicit writing instruction. Listen and subscribe to Progressively Incorrect on…SpotifyYouTubeApple PodcastsWordPress This…
S4E15: Brendan Lee and Zach Groshell on Effective Leadership – Education Rickshaw
Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect, a show sponsored by John Catt from Hodder Education and hosted by me, Dr. Zach Groshell. John Catt publishes some of the best books in education, including my book, Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching. https://www.amazon.com/Just-Tell-Them-Science-Explanation/dp/103600368X Listen and subscribe to Progressively Incorrect on…SpotifyYouTubeApple PodcastsWordPress This is…
Where are the Champions for Struggling Public Schools? – Education Rickshaw
A few years ago, for not the first time, I found myself at the school at the bottom. Test scores were hovering around 18 percent proficiency, chronic absenteeism was rampant, and the school had the reputation of being the most dangerous in the district. You couldn't take a tour of the school without encountering the…
A Course on How to Explain Better – Education Rickshaw
I was recently invited to develop content for a course on explanations for InnerDrive's CPD Academy. There are some previews that are available to you now to give you a taste. The course content largely follows the flow of my book and my workshops on modeling and explicit instruction. Explain with Visuals https://youtu.be/OwsjiU5IQVs?si=EFHPPhrcZsxpSQ_J Explain with…
S4E14: Kim Lockhart on Supporting L2 Learners with the Science of Reading – Education Rickshaw
Today I am excited to bring you an interview with Kim Lockhart. Kim's work focuses on the science of reading and its application in second language programs. She has been a vocal advocate on social media for moving away from balanced literacy and adopting evidence-based approaches to teaching reading. When I first encountered Kim, it…
Diagnosing and Setting Coaching Action Steps – Education Rickshaw
One of the trickiest parts of instructional coaching is diagnosis. It requires deep funds of knowledge by the coach around effective teaching and learning to select the next high leverage "step" for the teacher to work on. Some coaching approaches attempt to solve this problem by abdicating the responsibility of identifying the step to the…
Defining Explicit Teaching and Direct Instruction – Education Rickshaw
Something about the label, direct instruction, seems to conjure images of boring lectures. The change to using explicit instruction was probably, at least in part, an attempt to remedy this, just like how testing got changed to retrieval practice to avoid associations with standardized tests. Retrieval is still testing, and explicit instruction is still direct,…
S4E13: Catherine Thevenot on Counting on Your Fingers – Education Rickshaw
Should students be taught to count on their fingers? Today I am excited to bring you an interview with Catherine Thevenot. Catherine is a researcher at the Institute of Psychology at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Her work focuses on cognitive development, particularly in the area of numerical cognition and arithmetic skills in children.…
Knowledge-rich curriculum and direct instruction go hand in hand – Education Rickshaw
I woke up today to a wonderful surprise. Daniel Buck of the Fordham Institute has written a favorable review of Just Tell Them, which has now gone out to the thousands of people who receive these e-mails in their inboxes. Something I never thought I'd see in my career was Buck's suggestion that my book…
The Literacy View & Lucy Calkins – Education Rickshaw
I was recently invited to speak on The Literacy View, where we had a laugh and discussed some of the policies that are being put in place to filter out nonsense in some of the worst reading programs, like three cueing. We also sipped to our concerns that the gurus of balanced literacy past may…
S4E12: Jan Hasbrouck on Reading Fluency and Direct Instruction – Education Rickshaw
Welcome back to Progressively Incorrect. My name is Dr. Zach Groshell, and today I am excited to bring you an interview with Jan Hasbrouck, the keynote speaker at NIFDI’s 2025 National Direct Instruction Conference and Institutes. Dr. Hasbrouck is a renowned researcher and author with a distinguished career dedicated to improving literacy and educational outcomes. Dr.…